Brush provided with retractable bristles to facilitate removal of tangled hair strands

ABSTRACT

A brush includes a brush body, a plurality of bristles, an operating member, and a biasing member. The brush body includes an upper wall, a lower wall that is aligned with the upper wall along a transverse direction, and that is movable relative to the upper wall, and a guiding member that extends upward from the lower wall through the upper wall. The bristles are mounted on a bristle-mounting surface of the upper wall, and are extendible through the bristle-extension apertures in the lower wall. The operating member is connected to the guiding member, and is operable to move the lower wall relative to the upper wall between upper and lower positions. The biasing member restores the lower wall from the lower position to the upper position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a brush, more particularly to a brush provided with retractable bristles to facilitate removal of tangled hair strands therefrom.

2. Description of the Related Art

As shown in FIG. 1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,681,775 discloses a brush that includes a brush body 11, a handgrip 12 that is mounted on the brush body 11, a bristle unit 13, and an operating unit 14. The brush body 11 includes a combing wall 111 that is formed with a plurality of bristle-extension apertures 112. The bristle unit 13 includes a bristle-holding element 131 that is disposed in the brush body 11, and a plurality of bristles 132 that are mounted on the bristle-holding element 131. The operating unit 14 includes a plurality of guiding members 141 that are mounted in the brush body 11 and that extend through the bristle-holding element 131, a controlling member 142 connected to the bristle-holding element 131 for moving the bristle-holding element 131 along the guiding members 141, and a plurality of biasing members 143 sleeved respectively on the guiding members 141 and abutting against the bristle-holding element 131.

By turning the controlling member 142 clockwise, the bristle-holding element 131 moves upward along the guiding members 141, so that the bristle-holding element 131 is moved away from the combing wall 111, and the bristles 43 are retracted into the brush body 11, thereby leaving tangled hair strands on the combing wall 111 to facilitate the removal of the tangled hair strands.

Although the aforesaid brush can facilitate the removal of tangled hair strands, the operation of turning the controlling member 142 while holding onto the handgrip 12 is awkward and is not ergonomic for the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a brush with retractable bristles to facilitate the removal of tangled hair strands, wherein the operating action for retracting the bristles into a brush body is a pressing action.

According to the present invention, there is provided a brush that includes: a brush body including an upper wall, a lower wall that is aligned with the upper wall along a transverse direction, and that is movable relative to the upper wall between upper and lower positions, and a guiding member that extends upward from the lower wall through the upper wall, the upper wall having a bristle-mounting surface, the lower wall being formed with a plurality of bristle-extension apertures; a plurality of bristles that are mounted on the bristle-mounting surface of the upper wall, and that extend through the bristle-extension apertures; an operating member disposed above and spaced apart from the upper wall, and connected directly to the guiding member so as to be co-movable with the lower wall relative to the upper wall in the transverse direction, and to move the lower wall from the upper position to the lower position when pressed downward in the transverse direction; and a biasing member for restoring the lower wall from the lower position to the upper position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a partly sectional view of a conventional brush;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the preferred embodiment of a brush according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an assembled perspective view of the preferred embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an assembled sectional view of the preferred embodiment, illustrating-a normal combing state of the brush; and

FIG. 5 is an assembled sectional view of the preferred embodiment, illustrating a state where the bristles are retracted.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the preferred embodiment of a brush according to the present invention includes a brush body 2, a handgrip 3, a bristle unit 4, an operating member 5, and a biasing member 6.

The brush body 2 includes an upper wall 21, a lower wall 22 that is aligned with the upper wall 21 along a transverse direction (X), and a guiding member 23. The upper wall 21 has a grip-mounting surface 211 and a bristle-mounting surface 212. The grip-mounting surface 211 is formed with a protruding base 213. The base 213 is formed with a recess 214, and a stud 216 that extends into the recess 214. The upper wall 21 is formed with two guiding slots 215 that are parallel to the transverse direction (X), and that extend through the grip-mounting surface 211, the bristle-mounting surface 212, and the protruding base 213. The lower wall 22 has an inner surface 221 and a combing surface 222, and is formed with a plurality of bristle-extension apertures 223 extending through the inner surface 221 and the combing surface 222. In this embodiment, the bristle-extension apertures 223 are in the form of elongated slots parallel to the transverse direction (X). The guiding member 23 is formed on the inner surface 221 of the lower wall 22, and includes two guiding plates 231 that extend from the inner surface 221 through the guiding slots 215, respectively.

The handgrip 3 is connected to the grip-mounting surface 21 of the brush body 2 to serve as a medium for the user to grasp.

The bristle unit 4 includes a plurality of bristles 41 that are mounted on and that are arranged in rows on the bristle-mounting surface 212 of the upper wall 21 corresponding to the bristle-extension apertures 223 in the lower wall 22.

The operating member 5 is disposed above and is spaced apart from the upper wall 21. The operating member 5 has a bottom surface 51 that is formed with an annular protrusion 52, and two hooks 53. The annular protrusion 52 is aligned with the recess 214 in the grip-mounting surface 211, while the hooks 53 are connected respectively to the guiding plates 231 in a snap engaging manner so as to be co-movable with the lower wall 22 relative to the upper wall 21 in the transverse direction (X).

The biasing member 6 extends into the recess 214 in the grip-mounting surface 211 and the annular protrusion 52, and has a lower end 61 that is sleeved on the stud 216 of the grip-mounting surface 211.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, when there are no external forces pressing against the operating member 5, the brush is in a normal combing state. In the normal combing state, the biasing member 6 pushes against the operating member 5 to keep the operating member 5 away from the upper wall 21. Since the guiding member 23 is co-movable with the operating member 5 through the connection between the hooks 53 and the guiding plates 231, the lower wall 22 is disposed adjacent to the upper wall 21, so that the bristles 41 extend through the bristle-extension apertures 223 and are exposed from the combing surface 222. The user can thus begin combing by holding onto the handgrip 3.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, when an external force greater than the elastic restoring force of the biasing member 6 is exerted on the operating member 5, the lower wall 22 is moved away from the upper wall 21 in the transverse direction (X), and a gap 24 is formed between the upper and lower walls 21, 22. The bristles 41 are thus retracted and hidden in the gap 24. As a result, tangled hair strands are left on the combing surface 222 and can be cleaned easily.

The following are some of the advantages attributed to the brush according to the present invention:

The principle of the present invention is the same as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,681,775, which involves retraction of the bristles 41 by virtue of relative movement between the lower wall 22 and the upper wall 21, so that tangled hair strands are left on the combing surface 222, thereby facilitating the removal of tangled hair strands. However, the operating action by the user according to this invention is a pressing action, so that it meets the ergonomic needs of the user.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements. 

1. A brush comprising: a brush body including an upper wall, a lower wall that is aligned with said upper wall along a transverse direction, and that is movable relative to said upper wall between upper and lower positions, and a guiding member that extends upward from said lower wall through said upper wall, said upper wall having a bristle-mounting surface, said lower wall being formed with a plurality of bristle-extension apertures; a plurality of bristles that are mounted on said bristle-mounting surface of said upper wall, and that extend through said bristle-extension apertures; an operating member disposed above and spaced apart from said upper wall, and connected directly to said guiding member so as to be co-movable with said lower wall relative to said upper wall in the transverse direction, and to move said lower wall from the upper position to the lower position when pressed downward in the transverse direction; and a biasing member for restoring said lower wall from the lower position to the upper position.
 2. The brush as claimed in claim 1, wherein said biasing member is disposed between and abuts against said upper wall and said operating member.
 3. The brush as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bristle-extension apertures are in the form of parallel elongated slots, and said bristles are arranged in rows that correspond to said elongated slots.
 4. The brush as claimed in claim 3, wherein said upper wall of said brush body is formed with two guiding slots, said guiding member of said brush body having two guiding plates that extend from said lower wall through said guiding slots respectively, said operating member being connected to said guiding plates.
 5. The brush as claimed in claim 4, wherein said upper wall of said brush body is formed with a protruding base, said base being formed with a recess that is aligned with and that opens toward said operating member, said operating member having a bottom surface that is formed with an annular protrusion aligned with said recess, said biasing member extending into said recess and said annular protrusion.
 6. The brush as claimed in claim 5, wherein said base is further formed with a stud that extends into said recess, said biasing member having a lower end sleeved on said stud. 